TORRES del PAINE National Park, Chile. . . . . . . . Part II

Chile

Torres del Paine National Park

March 13, 2018

Temp. Range 38-50F

Cloudy with Scattered Showers 

More scenic beauty from the Torres del Paine

National Park of Chile.  Go HERE if you missed Part I.

The three huge granite 'Torres' (towers) which reach over 10,000 ft., are just

 visible between the 'Cuernos' (horns) on the right side of this photo above.

As we moved on from the mountains the landscape became rolling hillsides and valleys

and we saw more wildlife along the roadside.

Pair of Guanaco

The llama, the guanaco, and the alpaca are all native to the Andes Mountains

 in South America and they are all herbivores. 

The only wild species is the guanaco. The llama and the alpaca are domesticated.

 Darwin's or Lesser Rhea

An ostrich-like bird, the Darwin's or Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata) is one

 of the most distinctive, fabled and endangered residents of Patagonian

 steppe grasslands. Two species of rhea, the Greater and Lesser, occupy

 overlapping ranges in Patagonia. Lesser rheas typically weigh 35-55 lbs.

 The Greater rhea is the largest of all South American birds and is related

 to ostriches and emus. These flightless birds use their long, powerful

 legs to outrun trouble. Although their large wings are useless for flight, 

they are used for balance and for changing direction as the bird runs.

My hope whilst in Patagonia was to see the Andean condor 

and, in this area of hills and valleys where the air currents are

 conducive to high flying birds, my dream came true!

This condor, with an average wingspan of 10 ft. 8in. is the largest flying

 land bird (combined weight and wingspan) in the world. Its habitat is mainly

 composed of open grasslands and alpine areas up to 16,000 ft. in elevation.

 It prefers relatively open, non-forested areas which allow it to spot carrion

 from the air, such as the páramo or rocky, mountainous areas.

Weather conditions were not the best, and those huge birds were so high in the sky 

only those with big DSLR cameras and really high-powered lenses were able to get

 close-up shots.  However, I did see several of these huge birds and managed a few photos.

To read more interesting facts about the Andean condor go HERE.

Puerto Natales, Chile

That night we stayed anchored at the port - some travelers enjoyed 

 more time in the town before returning to the ship.

Already suffering from the nasty cold/bug, I was ready to get back

on board post haste after a long day - with a little dinner and an early night.

Being rocked to sleep on the evening tide felt good!